Thursday, July 21, 2011

In one week....

We leave for Ghana one week from today. I believe that this 100 degree heat index is just to prepare us for the journey, so turn down the air conditioning and jump into the sweaty sunshine! It's amazing to me how there is oppression everywhere, even in a country as free as the U.S., and yet we don't often really help one another completely. As we embark on this journey to another world in Africa, I'd like to reflect on the meaning of neighbors. How do we cross the road for one another?

Henri Nouwen reflects on this in several of his writings, but I am particularly struck by this passage:

"We become neighbors when we are willing to cross the road for one another. There is so much separation and segregation: between black people and white people, between gay people and straight people, between young people and old people, between prisoners and free people, between Jews and Gentiles, Muslims and Christians, Protestants and Catholics.....there is alot of road crossing to do. We are all very busy in our own circles. We have our own people to go to and our own affairs to take care of. But if we could cross the road once in a while and pay attention to what is happening on the other side, we might indeed become neighbors."

Today in Ghana, a minister recommended the arrest of all gays and lesbians in the Western region. This is devastating for human rights and I would hope that you would read the article and pray for the people. Let's cross the road to listen, to help and to be listened to and to receive help. Here's the article: www.pinknews.co.uk

There's so much good work to be done all around the world, and I hope that we can be of some small assistance!

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About Me

I am a professor of theatre at Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan. There I enjoy directing Shakespeare and adapting classics for the stage, but I also write my own stuff there. Just this past year, I did a theatre for social justice piece about refugees called "GRAINS OF HOPE: REFUGEE EXPERIENCE IN WEST MICHIGAN" based on over a hundred interviews with new refugees settling in my home city of Grand Rapids.
Then...In my spare time I also work as a theatre director for Actors' Theatre Grand Rapids where I produced and directed the the world premieres of two of my own works: "SEVEN PASSAGES: THE STORIES OF GAY CHRISTIANS," and "LINES: THE LIVED EXPERIENCE OF RACE" which opened in the Autumns of 2007 and 2010 respectively. I teach theatre history, performance studies, ethnographic research and theatre, theatre for social justice, and directing classes at Calvin. I have a passion for Africa, sometimes leading Calvin College's Semester in Ghana program.